Renegade
by The Mandii
Summary: Andi Marlowe is the daughter of a hunter and a psychic, in the wake of her father's death, she gives up hunting to protect her mother. It seems that once she meets Sam and Dean, she must live on the road as her father once did. R&R Please!
1. Long Time Dying

It's never been about the honor or the knowledge of being an unseen hero.

I've always had a bad feeling about this life, because it's always been about protecting what I've got left. My mother is a psychic as well as a former hunter; there are just as many hunters and creatures that want her dead as there are who want her help. She always tells me she doesn't need me to watch her back 24/7, but that will never stop me from staying at home to protect her. At least, that was how I felt until an old friend of my father's walked through our threshold. Bobby Singer didn't look the way I remembered when I was a little girl, he was older, more weathered.

"Athena, you're looking well." Bobby said as he and my mother clasped hands like good friends.

"Thank you Bobby, now what has taken you all the way to Mississippi to see us today? I don't think you're on a job." My mother put her hands on her hips and raised a brow, looking like a goddess of old in her long flowing gray dress and all of the gold she wore. I remained behind her, saying nothing, on stand-by. My father's untimely death has left me on edge; I'll be the first to admit it. I don't enjoy life the way I once did.

My thoughts were broken when I felt Bobby's gaze hit me. "Andi, is that you? Cripes, you've grown!" He smiled at me. "How are you, still hunting?" I shook my head, and he frowned.

"She believes that her place is here with me, since Aaron passed." My mother said with some disappointment. I knew she wanted me hunting, fighting the oncoming apocalypse.

"That's too bad. I've come to see if you were interested in a job. Speaking of, the boys should be here soon, Athena."

While they waited for these 'boys', my mother brought out the spread she had already prepared, in knowing that Bobby was going to show up today. We all sat in the parlor, and I had to sit through small talk. The Marlowe Estate, which has been the home of my family for generations, was of extremely Victorian designs inside and out. Everything in my house was old fashioned, and we hardly had any modern technology in the house. My mother always said it was too dangerous to have too many items run by electricity in the home, and she had a point. Bursting light bulbs from massive supernatural activity could potentially burn our precious home down. A good 45 minutes passed before my mother rose from her seat and walked to the door just as someone knocked on the door. She welcomed into our home two men who seemed to be brothers, they wore simple, but rugged clothing. One wore a leather jacket; the other wore a denim jacket. Bobby rose and I did as well.

Bobby spoke before I could. "These boys are Sam, and Dean Winchester. Fellas, this is Athena Marlowe." The two men made mild pleasantries with my mother. "And this is her daughter, Andronika." He added. Dean smirked at me and I could feel my skin prickle with anger. The younger one, Sam, smiled kindly at me, and I felt much more at ease.

I cleared my throat, and made sure my tone was disdainful. "Please, just call me Andi." And I shook hands with them both.

"Nice to meet you, Andi." Sam said.

"So, you're a hunter?" Dean asked, and I frowned at him. I was beginning to like this setup less and less.

Bobby cleared his throat. "We're here to ask Athena for help with the job." My mother laughed at this. I'm still unsure as to what she found so funny. "We need you to find this demon that has been continually slipping through our fingers. He's a nasty mother."

"Oh Bobby, are you losing your touch?" My mother clucked playfully. I smirked slightly at that. "I think that if you take Andronika with you, your search will end quickly. She… Has some sense for demons as I do. I am too old for demon hunting."

I nearly choked on the cracker I had picked up from the spread on the coffee table. My coughing alerted the others, and suddenly all eyes were on me. Dean actually laughed.

"We're not bringing her anywhere, lady—OW." Sam jabbed his brother in the ribs. "Son of a…"

"Mrs. Marlowe, I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Sam said, more politely. "This demon is extremely dangerous and I would hate to put more people in danger than need be."

My mother was not convinced. "If anyone can locate and help defeat this demon it is my daughter, that is my price for what you seek. Don't you think for a second that I don't already know what kind of _weapons _you have at your disposal, Sam Winchester." She was a powerful psychic, and so she probably knew everything about the Winchesters that ever came through their minds. They both tensed at that statement. It seemed to me that the Winchesters had their secrets, but I didn't care. I have my own agenda.

"Don't I get a say in this? I should not leave the estate! You need me—"

"Nonsense, child! I can handle myself just fine, thank you."

"That's what dad said before he was _slaughtered._" I spat, storming out of the house and into the depths of our gardens. Some time passed before Bobby came out to find me. I sat among the tiger lilies, picking at blades of grass, not wanting to be found. I just wanted to be left alone to do as I pleased.

"Now why would you say that to your mom? I know losing Aaron was hard, Andi. It was hard for a lot of people, but that doesn't mean you have to stop being who you are because of it. What happened to the adventurous little girl I used to see running around and away whenever you had the chance?"

"That was before I lost half of all the family I have."

"Now you're just bein' an idjit." He rumbled. "Athena can sure as hell take care of herself."

"What would you know?" I yelled. "You weren't there when dad died! You didn't see it!"

"Well then don't you want to kill all of the sons of bitches that are related to the one who killed him? Doesn't this make you hate demons? Don't you want to hunt them?"

"I do, but…"

"There's no buts. You're a hunter, born and raised. We need someone like you out there to help fight off the damn apocalypse!"

After much yelling from both Bobby and my wrathful mother, I finally broke down and agreed to go with the Winchesters. I got ready, bought a cell phone, and packed my equipment. I agreed to go, only on the condition that I could go in my own car. I love my 1960 Thunderbird. I've spent much of my free time restoring it to its former glory in the garage near the house. The car was my father's but it was nearly falling apart, and now it's the perfect hunter's vehicle. Devil's traps are on the doors and underneath the trunk door. Like Dean's car, my trunk has a false bottom to hide all of the necessary tools of the trade.

There are also some luxuries to my wheels, like the red leather seats, the smooth black paint job, and the 6-disc CD-player. I have a pile of CD's in the back seat with all of the _good _music. Journey, Foreigner, Styx, AC/DC, Survivor, Queen…. I could go on for hours. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a classic rock lover.

There's a kind of freedom in seeing the road out in front of you for miles upon miles, and somewhere on that pavement, I started to feel more like my old self.

I started to forgive myself for not making it in time.


	2. Urgent

Cedar Fields, VA, 8:15 AM

"_This _is the area you last saw the demon at?" I asked in a hushed tone as the three of us sat in the middle of a small town diner. "What would it want here? It's in the middle of damn nowhere, the population here is like 1000."

Dean scowled at me, of course. "Listen, miss sunshine, I don't have time for your damn attitude." I crossed my arms and he groaned angrily, looking at Sam. "Ugh, Sam, why did we agree to this? Why did _Bobby _agree to this?" Sam shrugged innocently and I crossed my arms.

"So, Andi, can you feel it at least?" Sam asked.

I nodded, taking a bite of my toast. Feeling a demon's presence is somewhat hard to describe as anything other than a tingling feeling in my hands, and a heavy sense of dread, and the feeling gets stronger as the distance between myself and the demon becomes smaller. My mother said that if I trained myself, I could pinpoint the exact location of the demon from just about any distance. The problem is, I've never _tried _to train myself. The feeling from where we sat was a dull annoyance. We were at least a mile away.

Sam kept his gaze on me while I sat in my reverie. I looked up at him. "To be honest, the demon has got to be at least a mile away. But he's a nasty son of a bitch, I know because normally the feeling only affects my hands, but I've got pins and needles up to my elbows."

"What does that mean, Andi? Pins and needles like, your hands are your demon radar?" Sam tilted his head, probably eager to examine me like the braniac he is. I nodded. "Fascinating… What else can you do? Are you like Athena? Bobby said your mom was one of the best remaining psychics in America."

I frowned. Being a freaky demon bloodhound wasn't enough? "That's all I can do, Sam. Far as I know. I think my mom would have told me if I was more of a freak than I already am, she would know cause she's got all the mojo." My voice wasn't exactly cheerful.

Breakfast continued in awkward silence after that. I didn't really want to push them away this way, but I wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with the Winchester boys just because Bobby and my Mother want me to. This is professional work only, and I shouldn't even have agreed to eat breakfast with them. Regardless, the boys offered to pay with money that was undoubtedly not theirs to begin with. Never being one to turn down free food, I consented. Surely their whole lives were built upon stealing and lying in order to continue their work. I could never really understand that life, I was lucky to have the option of going home after a job.

My whole life, my father balanced his life almost perfectly between hunting and being an accountant. By day, he was just Aaron Marlowe; by night… Hunter Aaron. He worked for a friend's business so he was given off whenever needed, no questions asked. When I was old enough to understand that daddy wasn't a policeman with a crazy schedule, he and my mother took a break from hunting to train me.

I learned that everything that goes bump in the night is real, and that nearly all of them wanted a piece of my father and others like him, all at the age of 13.

I remember every bruise, cut, and raised word from my father's wrath, but I knew that it was for my own good. I knew that he would die one day, I just didn't know that it would be on a day when I would be on the hunt to back him up. I keep hearing him screaming, in my dreams, _"Run, Andi! Get away from here and protect your mother! Fear the name of—" _And then his words were cut off. And I remember why. The demon that slaughtered him tore his head off, right before my eyes I watched my father's life's blood drain from his body onto the floor, and I screamed as the demon lapped at the red pool, laughing at me.

I ran. I wasn't strong enough. I was a coward.

But no more, because I am going to kill as many of those bastards as I possibly can, until my last breath, I will hunt every demon that comes within my reach.

The Winchesters walked ahead of me as we exited our respective vehicles toward the building that set off the alarm in my senses. My arms nearly felt numb and I felt as if a heavy weight was bearing down on me. When Sam and Dean stopped short, I nearly walked into them both. Cursing, I side-stepped around them.

"What the hell, guys?"

"It's Cas."

"What?" I looked toward the building, and a few feet ahead of us stood a man in a khaki colored trench coat, he looked to be near to 6 feet tall. And a bright white aura was all around him, spread out wide. "What the…." I stepped back. "He's _glowing_! Can't you guys see that?"

The glowing man tilted his head. "This is the…_Andi_ you spoke of?" He walked up to me and I stepped back again.

"Get away, you freak!"

"It appears she can partially see my true visage." The glowing man remarked.

"_She __**what**_?" Dean's eyes widened, and now I was really freaked out.

Sam intervened. "Andi, this is Castiel, he's… an angel. From Heaven."

"You're an angel? _You_?" I laughed, nearly hysterically. "An angel of damn Heaven is standing in front of me in a goddamned meat suit. This is a dream!"

"I assure you this is not funny, nor is it a dream, and please do not say such things about my vessel. He is a devout man." I was nearly doubled over in laughter at this point.

"My mother has cast me into a cosmic joke, fantastic." I said as I finally stopped laughing. Castiel glowered at me, clearly not amused. I raised a brow at the glowing man. "So if you are an angel of the lord, why the hell haven't you smited me or anyone here yet? We _live _in sin, dude. This is the job."

"Well, dark times call for much forgiveness for certain parties such as yourself. That and Dean is very important to Us."

"Right. Dean. Important. Got it. And you're glowing like a…well, You're _glowing._"

"My true visage is very, very bright, I must stay within this vessel so that I may be perceived by Sam and Dean." He canted his head to the side again. "You can sense demons as well, I've been told?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sure you'd love to meet my mom. Though she probably already knows who you are. She's seriously psychic."

"Okay, lovebirds, enough chit-chat. What the hell do you want now, Cas? We're on a hunt." Dean growled, clearly protective on some level of his shiny pet.

"That's exactly why I'm here, Dean. I came to warn you to be careful. This demon's name is Zagan. He is very powerful, so just… watch yourselves, and trust one another no matter what. He is tricky, to say the least."

"So…" I began to speak, but I blinked and the angel was gone. I looked at the boys, who didn't seem very surprised that we'd been ditched. "Does he do that a lot?"

"Yep." Just great, I thought.

I moved to lead the boys into the building, trying to think of where I had heard the name Zagan before. It wasn't exactly ringing a bell, but I felt as though I knew that name, as if it were something I needed to know, something important. I should have chalked it up to be psychic intuition, or my choices would have been a lot smarter.

We went through the routine, checking corners, keeping our guns ready, and following my lead, until we reached an empty room. It wasn't just empty; it was clean, unlike the rest of the building. Why would a demon clean up a room that was probably covered in dust for what seemed to be years?

"Like what I've done with the place, little Andronika?" I heard a low, gravely voice croon from behind us. We turned, guns readied. My eyes shot open so wide; it felt like they were about to fall out of my skull.

It was the same demon, in the same vessel that slaughtered my father.


	3. Suspicion

"I've been waiting for you, my dear Andronika." Zagan's vessel was a beautiful man with chiseled facial features and slightly shaggy dirty blonde hair with a hint of waviness to it. He was of average height and build, but his obsidian colored eyes were anything but average. His overall appearance, in my opinion, had to be the exact opposite of what he truly looked like.

When both Sam and Dean were thrown helpless against the wall without Zagan even lifting a finger, I knew this would end badly. When my shotgun was wrenched from my hands by an invisible force, I feared for my life. My heart beat wildly in my chest as Zagan walked toward me, and everything seemed to slow down and speed up all at once.

I should have seen Castiel's warning as a sign to abandon the mission and drag the boys with me. We were about to die, and it was my fault for not opening my senses to the universe, for not taking in the signs set before me. Funny when fear overcomes you and makes your body an immobile sniveling child, how clear your mind becomes on the past tense.

"NO!" Dean yelled. "ANDI!"

"ANDI! RUN!" Sam choked out as loudly as he could against the force that Zagan laid upon them.

I couldn't move, could barely breathe. And when Zagan placed his hands on my shoulders, and whispered to me about all of the skeletons in my closet, I began to feel cold. Everything was clear to me now: my mother's intentions, and the power that was slowly awakening within me, but no matter how loudly I screamed, nothing escaped me, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not grasp my own power.

"_Come now, love,_" he whispered to me, raising his voice as he looked to the boys, "tell the boys who I am to you. Tell them what I did to your daddy a couple of years back. How I took his pathetic body and ripped it to shreds just as you arrived to try and save the day. Hi head came off like a doll's!" Zagan let out a short fit of booming laughter. I trembled, hot tears streaming down my cold face, my raven hair sticking to my face.

"_You bastard…_" I whispered, voice shaking with rage. "YOU BASTARD!" I felt a wildfire of energy consume me as I shoved Zagan away from me without even touching him.

"Woo! Looks like the little bitch has got _bite_!" Zagan cackled, only fanning the flames of my fire.

"I will send you back to Hell, you disgusting son of a bitch." I said in a low, even tone. I was glad I still remembered how to exorcise demons. "_Priinceps gloriosissime cælestis militiæ, sancte Michaël Archangele,"_ Zagan snarled and bared his teeth, but I continued._ "Defende nos in prælio et colluctatione, quæ nobis adversus principes et potestates," _He began to sweat, but I held him in place with my own power._ "Adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiæ…"_

"NO! STOP, PLEASE!" Zagan howled. I only smiled at him.

"_In cælestibusus. Veni in auxilium hominum, quos Deus creavit inexterminabiles, et ad imaginem similitudinis suæ fecit, et a tyrannide diaboli emit pretio magno!" _The exorcism incantation complete, black smoke erupted from Zagan's host, vanishing into fiery abyss. My power seemingly exhausted for now, I collapsed to my knees when the boys fell from their places against the wall behind me.

Sam was the first to reach me. "Are you okay? God, Andi, what the hell was that? It was almost like…" He trailed off, as if remembering something. Something he didn't want to say. I let it go, my mind too focused on what the hell I just did to a demon with no devil's trap, no rope, no tangible means of holding this powerful demon down.

"I… I don't know, he starting talking about dad, and I… I snapped…"

Sam took the liberty of driving to the motel with me in my car, probably out of fear that I would get myself into an accident. I leaned against the passenger side door, trying to stop shaking. I was petrified, of myself. My mother couldn't do things like that, she couldn't use her mind to fling demons around the room like rag dolls.

"Listen, Andi… I know you're scared. But we'll figure this out, okay? I promise." Sam said quietly after a while, keeping his eyes on the road. I watched his profile for some time before he spoke again. "Dean and I will protect you."

"I don't need protecting, Sam… Everyone else does. It's almost like _I'm _a demon…"

"No, Andi, you couldn't be. You wouldn't be able to touch your car otherwise. Trust me, everything will be okay. We'll help you figure your powers out."

I turned to him fully now in my seat. "And what if you don't? What if I go psycho demonic psychic AWOL? What if I kill someone?"

"You won't, okay? Ugh, just stop! We _will _help you, Andi. We will. I promise you."

Somehow I didn't believe him, not entirely. I wasn't a witch, and I wasn't a demon, nor an angel, nor a very powerful psychic previously to now. I wasn't sure what I was, and I didn't like it. I made a plan then to call upon my mother when I had the chance, when I was alone.

We arrived at the motel and Sam walked me to my door while Dean went into their room, only two doors down from them. He checked the room for disturbances while I sat on my bed. He tossed me a hex bag and told me what it was for, cloaking from demons. I didn't ask him where he learned to make such a thing, and he didn't bother to say where or whom it was from. I had a nagging feeling that Sam was hiding something, but his poker face was too much. He had an almost sinister way of lulling others into believing whatever it was he had to say for himself. I feared that this habit would take him down a dark path, a path into destruction and hellfire.

Night fell and I settled in for myself. The boys offered the usual fast-food dinner, but I declined, wishing to reflect for myself. My mother did not answer her phone, which was not surprising to me. She rarely picked up a phone. Perhaps a Ouija board message would get to her. The very thought of texting my mother through a Ouija board made me snicker to myself quietly, snuggling under the cheesy motel covers. The feeling on linen on my bare legs was always a comfort to me. I rarely wore more than an old worn out tee shirt as pajamas, though I'm sure the boys would protest to not being fully dressed for the next morning. All I had to do was put jeans on anyway. I rolled my eyes just thinking about them. Perhaps they were good friends to have, but I wasn't there to make friends and have sleep over parties. I was there to hunt down Zagan, and I sent him back to Hell. Whether or not he would return, I could never be sure.

"What is so funny?" Castiel's voice made me sit up in my bed. He stood at the foot of my bed, watching me curiously.

"What the hell, Cas? Why are you in my room?"

"Dean requested that I watch over you for tonight. He was very adamant that I made sure you were safe, to make sure that any associates Zagan might have had around would not hurt you, or possess you."

"I can't be possessed, Cas. I have a pentagram tattoo on the back of my neck, like the boys do." I said tiredly, just wanting to be alone.

"That does not mean you are fully protected from harm. I will stay."

"Fine, just please shut up and let me go to sleep." I laid back down, sighing. What felt like hours later in my head, I rolled over, opening my eyes briefly and he still stood there, same spot, looking at me because I moved. "Cas, that's really creepy, dude. Go sit down somewhere."

"I have no need to sit. Standing is more effective in a defensive situation."

I groaned. "What time is it?"

"It is 4:30. The boys will not wake for another couple of hours."

"Good. I have to call my mother." I rose from bed, and Castiel immediately looked away, looked nervous. Angels. "What's wrong? It's not like I'm naked."

"You are insufficiently dressed."

"Right. You're a virgin, I guess?"

No response. I took it as a 'yes', and pulled on a pair of jeans and my boots. The angel did not turn his head toward me again until I put a belt on and a jacket, and pulled my cell phone from my jacket's left pocket. I tried to call my mother again, and I left a message this time.

"Hey mom, it's me. I really need to talk to you about something, so, please, call me back for once." I shut the phone and sighed.

"Would you rather go back to Jackson to see your mother?"

"No thanks. Save your mojo for something more important. Do you eat? Wanna walk over to the diner with me?" I tilted my head.

"I would rather not."

"Well, okay then." And the angel was gone, vanished into thin air again. I grabbed my bag and locked it in the Thunderbird, then walked over to the diner alone. Just as I was about to cross the street, an orange 1970 Mustang pulled around the corner, and I could have sworn I saw Sam in the passenger seat, and a woman with dark curly hair and dark eyes was driving the vehicle. I shook my head and told myself that I was just imagining things out of exhaustion. What would Sam Winchester be doing with a woman so early in the morning? He didn't strike me as the type to run off with random women in the middle of the night like Dean seemed to be.

I walked into the Diner to find a booth where both of the boys could sit as well. I told the waitress that I just wanted coffee until my 'friends' arrived, while I sat and contemplated what I thought I'd just seen, but my doubt in myself dissipated when I saw Sam sneak out of the car and into the hotel room. Something fishy was up, and I hate fish.


	4. Highway to Hell

**-Three weeks later**

Ever since I saw Sam sneaking around with a suspicious looking brunette, I began to notice all of the lengths Sam went through to keep everything he did from Dean by endlessly lying to him. The only thing was, I couldn't figure out was exactly what Sam was up to. Tonight, I was going to find out. I couldn't stand how Sam was treating Dean. Sure, Dean and I aren't very friendly toward each other, but Dean is a great hunter and a good man. He did not deserve to be lied to constantly. Maybe I would tell him what Sam was doing. Or maybe the whole thing was truly innocent.

Yeah. Right.

What I saw was more unnatural than anything I had ever done or seen. Sam was tearing demons from humans without any exorcism incantations. He was exorcising them with his _mind. _And that mysterious woman, whom I heard him call 'Ruby', was a demon.

One of my supposed partners in _hunting _demons is actually working with one, using (clearly) demonic powers, in order to vanquish _other _demons. I had seen enough. I kicked open the door I was hiding behind, pinning Ruby against the wall with my own power. Sam turned, and was instantly slack-jawed at the sight of me.

"Andi… I… Uh." He looked down. "Well, there's no lying to you, but, you can't—"

"Tell Dean? Oh, I plan to tell him. And I plan to kick. Your. Ass. For this." I said, my tone hushed, my words not for the demonic whore I had pinned to the wall. "You of all people should know better than this."

"It's the only way I can kill Lilith." He said, more firmly, as if it would justify his actions.

"Then you shouldn't kill her! God damn it, Sam, you're such a freakin' idiot!" I lost my temper at that point. "I did some homework on you, and I get the whole Azazel thing, but those powers, those _evil _powers… They will fade away with time. You don't need them to be strong, to be a great hunter."

"It's the only way that Lilith can be killed! She must be killed!" the demon-whore croaked. I tightened my mental grip on her.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't exorcise this foul thing and go straight to Dean afterwards!" I snarled, hatred in my words.

"Andi, you can't do this."

"Try me."

Ruby's scream was piercing; and that's when it happened…

Sam struck me across the face, so hard that it knocked me off balance. I never expected he would do such a thing to me, and the shock of it made my telekinesis waver. Ruby fell to the floor. All the while that I was on the floor, my eyes never left his, and Sam immediately knew that what he did was wrong.

I gathered myself up and turned my back on them. Things were never going to be the same. I went back to the motel we were staying in for a couple of days, and shoved my door open, threw my bag down, and walked, immediately, into something solid and warm.

"Andronika?" Cas looked down at me, but I just leaned on him. He cleared his throat. "Uh… Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, Cas." I backed off. "I just kind of needed that."

"What's wrong?"

"You know about Sam, don't you." It wasn't a question. How could a true angel of the Lord not know?

"Yes."

"Then why don't you tell Dean?" I could still feel the sting of being struck.

"Because it is not yet time, Dean does not yet have the strength to fully understand and handle what is afoot." Castiel looked off to the side for a moment, as if listening for something, and he looked at me again, stepping close and gingerly taking my chin in his hand so he could examine my face. "He struck you…"

"Thanks, captain obvious…" I murmured. Our eyes lingered on one another's in a look of understanding. We both knew that if Dean found out what Sam was doing _and _what he'd done to me all at once, he would be severely broken up over it.

"Let me heal you so that you don't bruise." His voice grew soft, perhaps he feared that someone else would hear that he gave a damn.

"Alright." I closed my eyes when the glowing around him intensified when his fingers touched my face. He let his hand fall and I opened my eyes. It seemed that Castiel didn't know the meaning of 'personal space'. "Uh… Cas. Personal space, please."

"Right, sorry." He took two steps away.

"It's alright, thank you for helping me, I appreciate…" He was gone. "…It."

Maybe he wasn't really allowed to be friendly with humans, or feel anything for them such as sympathy. That must be why he disappeared all the time, he was afraid to get too close to us.

My mind made up, I gathered my things and walked over to the next room over, Sam and Dean's room. I knocked gently on the door, and a very tired looking Dean answered the door.

"Andi? What do you want?" Dean asked as I brushed past him.

"Dean… I think the time has come for me to go off on my own."

"What?" He seemed genuinely surprised. "I mean, er.." He looked away. "I think that's the way to go. Things are only going to get worse, and ah… You're not experienced enough for this."

"That's not it. It seems that… I don't belong with you two anymore." I shifted uncomfortably where I stood. I didn't really want to leave, but I couldn't stand by while Sam destroyed himself.

"Are you okay?" Dean's brow creased. The shadows cast over his face in the dim light showed me the state of his soul. I don't know what happened to Dean, but whatever it was, it was unimaginable.

"I'm fine, Dean. Just… Be careful, okay?" I smiled weakly at him. "I know you and I never had the chance to be good friends, and I'm sure you didn't really want to, but… From one hunter to another, I worry about you." I stepped close to him, and stood on my toes to kiss his cheek. "Just be good… Do good." I turned away and walked to the door, leaving Dean to stand there alone.

I got in my Thunderbird and headed off to Bobby's in the night. It was time I got some more training.


	5. Communication Breakdown

Bobby Singer's home is a commodity unto itself; there are countless texts and mystic items all related to the supernatural. The things I learned there are beyond anything my mother could have ever taught me. That, and Bobby is one tough customer, more so than my mother ever could have been. That fact made him the perfect teacher for me, because I needed a teacher who would kick my ass and never coddle me.

I improved in aim, accuracy, and deftness with guns and other weapons. It seemed that I could not only throw people and demons with my powers, but weapons as well. Salt-encrusted knives, multiple flasks of holy water, and the list goes on. I even started to work on shooting guns with my mind, so that what happened with Zagan would never happen again.

On this particular morning, Bobby was nice enough to make breakfast. He knew I hadn't been feeling well lately, and he knew it was probably because I missed all of the important people in my life; like my mother and the boys.

He nearly dropped the plates on the table with a harsh clatter, and I winced. "You wanna tell me what's goin' on with you, Andi?" Bobby's eyes bore into mine. There was never any lying to him. Like the boys, I saw him as a father figure in the absence of my own.

"Too many things, Bobby. I'm sorry, I should focus more on more important things."

"If you miss the boys, then go see 'em. Or give them a call, at least. It's been months since you've even mentioned them to me."

"I can't go back."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you. You'll… find out soon enough."

He didn't look amused. "_Please _tell me you didn't get knocked up by one of those idjits. Athena will kill me."

I couldn't hold back the chuckle that rose in my throat. "God, no, that'd be like shacking up with a brother. That's disgusting!"

Bobby raised a brow at me. "Then you should have no problem telling me, girl."

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt panic rise in the back of my throat. "I can't, end of story Bobby. Please just drop it."

Something crossed over the man's face, and his expression went from 'not amused' to '_totally_ blank'. "Okay, then." He said. "I will never speak of it again." Bobby sat down and seconds later; he looked confused. "You made breakfast? Thanks, Andi." I had manipulated his thoughts, somehow. Fascinated by this, I automatically responded.

"You're welcome…" I looked down at my food, wanting to kick myself for lying like that without thinking. "Hey, Bobby, have you found out anything about what my powers are or what they mean?"

"Nah, I'm still working on that, kiddo. I mean, we don't know _all _of what you can do yet."

"I think I'm starting to get an idea."

"Then shoot."

"Well, obviously, there's the telekinesis, my ability to sense demons, the intuition, my ability to influence others…"

"Influence others?" His brow creased. I had to spill the beans.

"Yeah, like just a couple of minutes ago, you said that if I missed the boys I should get in touch with them, and I told you to drop it, and you did. Do you remember? Also, you actually made breakfast, I didn't."

The look on Bobby's face was priceless. Never in my life have I ever seen the man so shocked. I had to laugh; it was just too damned funny for me to _not _laugh at my mentor. Needless to say, Bobby knew immediately what I was, or what a good term for me was. 'Voodoo Child', aptly named after the Jimmi Hendrix song.

He said it had to be because I was quite obviously my mother's child, and that I was even potentially much stronger than she was. His theory was that she did something to make me strong, like casting some sort of spell on me while I was in-utero. Or some other forces were involved here. Personally, I preferred the less fancy term, psychic.

The question was, did my mother do this to me on purpose? Or are my powers just an amplified version of her own? I had to ask her myself.

I had to know why I had these powers.

-3 months later: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico-

Dean burst through the door of the motel room he'd learned Andi was in, Sam in tow. "Andi! You—" A gun was levitating in front of his face. "Whoa, _there,_ Calamity Jane." He put his hands up. Andronika sat at the table nonchalantly pointing the gun at Sam instead. Dean's hazel eyes widened.

"Andi, what the hell?" Sam sputtered.

"Does he know, Sam? _Does he?" _Andi asked as calmly as she could. "If he doesn't, you'd better get the hell out of my room, Sam."

"Andi… Please." Sam pleaded with those eyes of his. "Don't make this any harder than it already is for me."

"Sorry, no can do, Sam. This is it. Now, or never."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean snapped, looking between his friend and little brother frantically, all sorts of awful or angering scenarios flashing through his mind. "You both better start talking before I get pissed."

"Andronika. Don't." Sam's voice turned from a begging tone to a growl.

The huntress narrowed her eyes before looking Dean in the eye. "Dean. You are going to take a walk to the diner across the street for some coffee. As soon as you exit the threshold of my room you will forget this happened."

That same blank look that had shown on Bobby's face was now worn by Dean, as he silently obeyed her command, leaving Sam alone with Andronika. Sam took the time to glance around the room; it did not look like the usual hunter's setup, there were no newspapers or printouts of information, no laptop or takeout garbage all over. The tacky 70's-esque décor was all in place as if she were just a wanderer staying the night, nothing special or suspicious. Andi wasn't hunting in Truth or Consequences. She _wanted _the boys to find her.

"What the hell is going on? What did you do to Dean?!"

"No, the better question is what are YOU doing to Dean? You must still be lying to him or he wouldn't have defended you like that, in fact, I doubt you'd even have come here together if he knew what you were doing. What you did to me, and what you've been up to with that _demon._" Andi hissed. She did not lower the gun from its alignment to his forehead, even when he moved about, not once. "What you're doing… You can't justify it. It's just wrong!" Andi forgot her previous nonchalance for a moment.

"I'm doing what needs to be done. I have to kill Lilith."

"How can you even be sure your powers will do the trick? How do you know they will last, that they are so reliable?" She returned to her calmer tone.

"You mean they're not reliable like _yours."_ Sam growled. The two of them stared at one another angrily, the air fairly crackled with their mental influence. "I don't want to fight you over this. What do you want from me? You must want something to hold this over my head, to set us up like this."

"I want you to tell the truth to Dean. Seeing him now, after all of my training with Bobby and my mother I know what he went through, though vaguely on the exact details, but it was horrible. It was Hell, literally, I'm sure you know that…" Andi looked away, Sam could tell she wasn't bluffing, she really was much more powerful now and he could nearly feel it. "You're making a mistake with these powers. You're going to make things worse someday. They're going to cause… catastrophe. And whenever Dean finds out one way or another, things will never be the same for you two. You _must _know that, Sam. You must." She lowered the gun to the table next to her.

Sam shifted uncomfortably where he stood, then sat on her bed, a safe distance away. "I have no other choice. Ruby says it's the only way she knew of to kill Lilith and we have to, we have to protect everyone." His tone became almost sad. "…Andi, I'm really sorry about what happened. I panicked because you were hurting Ruby and I know you'll probably never forgive me, I don't expect you to, but I have to ask… Please, forgive me. Please."

It took a few moments of consideration. "Fine… But know that I only give you this relief now because you won't be needing to think about my forgiveness in the future."

"What happened to you?" Sam murmured quietly.

"Life, Sam. The moment I killed Zagan, all those months ago, I realized that I needed to get stronger. To hone my skills and discover my potential, to discover why I'm like this. Well, I have." She smiled slightly. "Turns out even though I was destined to be born with my psychic abilities, my mother worked some serious magic on me before I was even born, allowing the spells to grow in intensity and my power as well, the older I get, so long as I live. She knew that I would need these powers to defeat 'the evil that was destined to kill my father'." Andi said with air quotes, quoting her mother Athena's words. "She also told me that while it was terrible to know this and to be unable to do anything for my father about it directly, she could prepare me to wreak vengeance upon demons for destroying our family."

The words sunk in, and Sam could not begin to imagine how she felt about being forced to have this destiny, forced to have these powers she hadn't always understood. He remembered how he'd felt when he discovered his powers bestowed upon him by Azazel. It wasn't fair, and yet she seemed to handle it much better than he had. Because she had been open about herself, about what she was.

He found himself pausing, looking her over. Andronika's midnight black hair was much longer than he remembered and pin straight, flowing freely down her back, save for a single thin braid hidden amongst the silken locks. She had blue-green eyes like her mother, and a slightly darker tint to her skin tone that betrayed her mixed heritage, her father having been 3/4th's Native American and 1/4th Caucasian, her mother having been Caucasian, of Grecian Descent. She was young, younger than Sam, but only by a couple of years, and beautiful, that fact alone only added to Sam's sorrow for her situation. It reminded him of his own, and he knew she'd never have a normal home life with a normal man and normal children, cursed with the life of a hunter.

He found himself with more regret than he had felt earlier, more remorse, but at the same time, a newfound fuel to the flames in his soul to destroy Lilith and prevent the apocalypse. He had to make her see his side.

"Andronika…"

"Save your heartfelt speech, Sam. Until the truth is revealed to Dean, you are my enemy. The next time I see you, there will be big problems in your future." The next words she uttered were a blur, a command that muddled his mind and made him wander away from her room, as if in a dream. His own powers prevented his memory from being wiped away by her, but when he woke up the next morning, the previous day had been a blur, and he imagined it to be one of his usual super-realistic dreams.

When they bust into the room they thought had been hers in the cheap motel that morning, there were no traces of a person having even occupied the room, not even in the check-in/out records they had sworn they checked two days before.


End file.
